The Yakuza’s Mute Bride novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Chapter 71

The moment my feet touched the Japanese ground, I felt it.

Not fear.

Not homesickness.

Something heavier.

ER $5 Vougher

The air itself seemed tense, stretched too tight, as though the city was holding its breath in anticipation of my arrival. Even before we reached the hospital, I could sense eyes on me, invisible yet sharp, watching, measuring, judging.

The drive was silent.

Yukito sat across from me in the car, his posture straight, his gaze fixed ahead, alert to every movement outside the tinted windows. Ai sat beside me, her shoulder close enough that I could feel her warmth, her presence steady and grounding.

Neither of them spoke.

They did not need to.

The hospital loomed ahead, tall and severe, its glass exterior reflecting a sky that felt too pale for what waited inside. Security was tighter than anything I had ever seen. Men in dark suits stood stationed at every entrance, their expressions guarded, their eyes sharp.

The car stopped.

The doors opened.

And suddenly, I was no longer just Naomi.

I was the woman who came after the gunshots.

As I stepped out, supported carefully by Yukito’s steady hand, conversations stilled around us. Heads turned. Whispers rippled through the gathered men like a quiet tide.

Some stared with curiosity.

Some with resentment.

Some with something far darker.

I lifted my chin.

If they expected me to shrink beneath their gaze, they would be disappointed.

Yukito walked at my side, his presence a shield without words. Ai followed close behind, her expression calm but fierce, as if daring anyone to question my place here.

We entered the hospital.

The corridor leading to Tadashi’s room was crowded with members of the Masayoshi clan, senior men and trusted operatives alike, all gathered in a way that felt more like a council than a vigil.

Their conversations stopped when they saw me.

I felt the weight of their stares settle on my shoulders like a physical thing.

61

Chapter 71

This is her.

The foreign woman.

The reason.

I could almost hear the accusations forming behind their eyes.

Then I saw Ota.

He stood near the wall, a crutch tucked beneath his arm, his stance steady despite the injury that forced him to lean slightly to one side. Gio stood beside him, his attention flicking instantly toward Yukito and Ai.

“Ota,” Yukito breathed, shock breaking through his controlled demeanor as he stepped forward.

Ai gasped softly, rushing to Ota’s side, her hands gripping his shoulders as if to confirm he was truly standing there.

“You’re awake,” she said, relief flooding her voice.

Ota nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. “They missed anything vital. My knees took the worst of it.”

Yukito pulled him into a brief, fierce embrace, the kind shared between men who had bled together. Ai joined them, laughing softly through tears before stepping back.

Then Ota’s gaze shifted to me.

He straightened as much as his injury allowed and inclined his head.

“Welcome, Naomi-sama.”

The words echoed louder than any shout could have.

Around us, I felt the shock ripple outward.

Naomi-sama.

Not Naomi.

Not the foreign girl.

Not the distraction.

A title.

Respect.

Recognition.

I bowed my head slightly in return, my chest tightening with gratitude.

Ota gestured toward the corridor. “Tadashi-sama has not woken yet,” he said gently. “But you may see him. Everything has been arranged.”

I nodded, my hands trembling slightly at my sides.

Just as I stepped forward, a voice cut through the air.

“This is her?”

– 4 ]

Chapter 71

I froze.

An older man stepped out from the cluster of clan members, his face lined with age and authority, his eyes sharp with disdain as they swept over me.

“The foreign woman?” he continued, his voice heavy with contempt. “The one who brought this shame upon us?”

My heart stuttered, but I did not lower my gaze.

Yukito moved instantly, placing himself half a step in front of me. “Oguri-sama,” he began respectfully, “please-”

“This is none of your concern,” the man snapped. “Masayoshi Tadashi lies unconscious because he forgot his place. Because he allowed himself to be distracted by-”

I lifted my phone.

My fingers moved steadily despite the way my pulse thundered in my ears.

When the device spoke, the voice was clear and calm, echoing down the corridor in fluent Japanese.

“My name is Naomi. It is nice to meet you, sir.”

The man stared at me, startled. “They said you were mute.”

I smiled and lifted the phone slightly.

“Technology,” the device continued for me. “It is quite useful.”

A few murmurs rippled through the crowd.

The man’s expression hardened. “Do not play clever with me. This is your fault. Loving a low foreign woman-”

“Lame?” my phone asked.

Gasps broke out.

The man’s eyes widened, fury flashing across his face.

“No leader of the Masayoshi clan should marry a woman like you,” he spat. “Especially not one from another country.”

I inhaled slowly.

Then I nodded. “I agree,” the phone said.

The shock was immediate.

Before he could respond, I continued, my fingers moving faster now, confidence blooming in a place I did not know existed.

“I tried to run,” the device spoke. “You should know that. But Tadashi Masayoshi does not accept no for an answer.

A few men exchanged glances.

“And if you fear he is becoming weak,” the phone continued calinly, “challenging him is not the solution either.”

I bowed my head politely.

Silence fell like a blade.

Without waiting for a response, Ota stepped forward, placing himself firmly at my side. Yukito and Ai followed, forming a

12:56 Mon, Jan 12

Chapter 71

quiet barrier as they guided me toward the door.

My heart pounded wildly.

Where had that bravery come from?

The door clicked open.

Gio stepped aside, allowing me to enter.

The room was dim, filled with the soft hum of medical equipment. Tadashi lay still on the bed, tubes and monitors surrounding him, his face pale but unmistakably his.

My breath caught.

He looked peaceful.

Too peaceful.

I approached slowly, every step heavy with fear and longing.

I sat beside his bed and took his hand in mine.

His skin was warm.

Alive.

I closed my eyes, pressing his hand gently between both of mine.

I am here, I thought desperately. Please wake up.

For two days, I did not leave.

I slept in the chair beside his bed. I watched his chest rise and fall. I held his hand until my fingers ached.

When clan members came to see him, I stepped outside respectfully, enduring the stares, the whispers, the judgment. Some looked at me with curiosity. Some with resentment. A few with something that resembled awe.

I held my head high.

For him.

On the third day, as I arranged fresh flowers near the window, I heard it.

A groan.

My heart leaped painfully in my chest.

I spun around and rushed back to his side, gripping his hand tightly as his fingers twitched beneath mine.

“Tadashi,” I wanted to say.

I couldn’t.

His eyes fluttered open slowly.

Dark.

Familiar.

12:56

Mon, Jan

Chapter 71

They met mine.

Relief flooded through me so violently my vision blurred with tears.

I smiled, joy breaking through every barrier I had built.

He stared at me.

Confusion crept across his expression.

Then his lips parted.

“Who… who are you?”

The world shattered.

Everything went silent.

I felt the words strike deeper than any bullet ever could.

I did not cry.

I did not move.

I simply held his hand as the truth settled painfully into my bones.

He was awake. But he did not know me.

And in that moment, I realized that surviving the attack had only been the beginning.

Because the man I loved had returned to the world-But not to me.

AD

Comment

Send gift

No Ads

12:56 Mon, Jan 12 TOG